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SPOTLIGHT ON<br />
GENERAL<br />
INFORMATION<br />
Country:<br />
Sri Lanka<br />
FIFA Trigramme:<br />
SRI<br />
Confederation:<br />
AFC<br />
Continent:<br />
Asia<br />
Capital:<br />
Colombo<br />
Fan favourite<br />
Annette Braun<br />
GEOGRAPHIC<br />
INFORMATION<br />
Surface area:<br />
65,610 km²<br />
Highest point:<br />
Pidurutalagala 2,524 m<br />
Neighbouring seas and oceans:<br />
Indian Ocean<br />
Mario Wagner / 2Agenten<br />
During his 13 years at Borussia Dortmund,<br />
Dede won two Bundesliga titles and made<br />
399 competitive appearances, of which<br />
322 were in the league and 47 on the European<br />
stage. The Brazilian striker was with the<br />
Yellow-and-Blacks from 1998 to 2011 and has<br />
long since secured a place in Dortmund fans’<br />
hearts.<br />
At the beginning of September it became<br />
clear just how popular Dede is among the<br />
Dortmund faithful and at the club itself at<br />
his testimonial, in which he played alongside<br />
numerous former team-mates and global<br />
stars in front of a crowd of 80,000. The sheer<br />
number of spectators present underlined the<br />
impact the former No.17 made on the Ruhr<br />
district club, having stayed with them<br />
through thick and thin.<br />
Dortmund and Dede triumphed together<br />
and also stood side by side when the club<br />
faced insolvency; far from pushing them<br />
apart, it brought them closer together. The<br />
Brazilian rejected attractive financial offers<br />
from other clubs and stayed in Dortmund,<br />
saying the city was his home.<br />
Players with that kind of loyalty are a<br />
rarity in the fast-moving world of the modern<br />
game, and as such they are honoured and<br />
showered with affection. Football fans have<br />
big hearts and an equally big desire for support<br />
and devotion. Although they have the<br />
opportunity to cheer their team on every<br />
week, there are decreasing numbers of players<br />
they can truly identify with.<br />
Dede was one such player. He was one of<br />
the fans and is still a hugely popular figure in<br />
Dortmund to this day, despite the fact he has<br />
not played for the club for four years and is<br />
currently working as an assistant coach in<br />
Turkey.<br />
Once supporters have taken a hero into<br />
their hearts, their admiration and affection<br />
know no bounds. Dede’s testimonial between<br />
a World XI and a ‘national team’ selected by<br />
him filled a stadium, making it the all-time<br />
best-attended farewell fixture in Europe. Å<br />
The weekly column by our staff writers<br />
MEN’S FOOTB<strong>ALL</strong><br />
FIFA Ranking:<br />
184th<br />
World Cup:<br />
No appearances<br />
WOMEN’S FOOTB<strong>ALL</strong><br />
FIFA Ranking:<br />
124th<br />
World Cup:<br />
No appearances<br />
LATEST RESULTS<br />
Men’s:<br />
Bhutan - Sri Lanka 2:1<br />
17 March 2015<br />
Women’s:<br />
Indien - Sri Lanka 4:0<br />
13 March 2015<br />
FIFA INVESTMENTS<br />
Since 2001:<br />
$ 4,189,220<br />
THE FIFA WEEKLY<br />
31
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